John Kinard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Robert Edward Kinard
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| Born | November 22, 1936 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Died | August 5, 1989 (aged 52) Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Occupation | Museum director |
| Spouse(s) | Marjorie Anne Williams Kinard |
John Robert Edward Kinard (born November 22, 1936 – died August 5, 1989) was an American social activist, a church leader (pastor), and a museum director. He is most famous for being the first director of the Anacostia Museum. This was a special community museum started by the Smithsonian Institution in 1967. Kinard led the museum from the very beginning until he passed away.
The Washington Post newspaper described him as someone who strongly believed that knowing their history was important for African Americans. Sir Kenneth Hudson, a well-known British expert on museums, said Kinard made the Anacostia Museum "one of the small number of museums of influence in the world."
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John Kinard's Early Life
Kinard was born in November 1936 in Southeast, Washington, D.C. His parents were Robert Francis and Jessie Beulah Kinard. He had one brother, William. John went to Dunbar High School but later moved to Spingarn High School, where he graduated in 1955.
He studied at Howard University in Washington, D.C., for about a year and a half. Then, he transferred to Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. He earned his first degree there in 1960. After that, he went to Hood Theological Seminary, which was part of Livingstone College at the time. He earned a special degree in religion in 1963.
Helping Others Around the World
In 1962, while still studying, Kinard joined a group called Operation Crossroads Africa. This group was an early version of the Peace Corps. He spent a summer in Tanzania, helping to build homes and dining areas for students. Dr. James Herman Robinson, who started Operation Crossroads, encouraged Kinard to go back to Africa.
After graduating, Kinard returned to Africa as a paid staff member for the organization. He worked in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. Later, he was promoted to manage all Operation Crossroads projects in eastern Africa. This area stretched from Cairo in the north all the way to Zimbabwe in the south.
Working in Washington, D.C.
Kinard came back to Washington, D.C., in 1964. He became a counselor for the Neighborhood Youth Corps. This program was created to help young African Americans who were at risk. It gave them work experience and encouraged them to stay in school.
He also worked for Southeast Neighborhood House. This organization was started by Dr. Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee. It provided medical care and other help to poor African Americans living in Southeast Washington, D.C.
Kinard married Marjorie Anne Williams on November 1, 1964. They had three daughters named Sarah, Joy, and Hope.
Leading the Anacostia Museum
In 1966, Kinard became an assistant pastor at John Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Washington, D.C. After working with Operation Crossroads Africa, he joined the Office of Economic Opportunity. Soon after, he moved to the United States Department of State. There, he worked as an interpreter and guide for government officials visiting from Africa.
While at the State Department, Kinard became friends with the son of Marion Conover Hope. Hope was part of a group called the Greater Anacostia People's Corporation. This group wanted better cultural places in the poorer areas of Washington, D.C., east of the Anacostia River.
How the Museum Started
S. Dillon Ripley, who was the head of the Smithsonian Institution, wanted to create a new kind of museum in 1966. He imagined a small, local museum that would be interactive and focus on neighborhood issues. The Greater Anacostia People's Corporation convinced Ripley to put the first such museum in Anacostia.
An old movie theater was fixed up and turned into the new museum. Marion Conover Hope introduced Kinard to Charles Blitzer, who worked for the Smithsonian. Blitzer was very impressed by Kinard and asked him to meet with Ripley. When Kinard met Ripley, Ripley thanked him for taking the job as director. Kinard was surprised but agreed to lead the Anacostia Museum. He later said he felt like he should "just jump and not know where they'll land."
Kinard was officially named director of the Anacostia Museum in July 1967. He stayed in this important role until he died in 1989.
Exhibitions and Community Focus
Under Kinard's leadership, the Anacostia Museum held 35 major exhibitions in its first eight years. One early show, "Frederick Douglas, the Sage of Anacostia, 1817?-1895," even toured the United States.
Kinard believed the Anacostia Museum should be connected to the problems of the neighborhood. For example, an exhibit called "Lorton Reformatory: Beyond Time" showed that many young African American men from Southeast Washington were in that prison. It also showed what their life there was like. Another exhibit, "The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction," looked at how rats live among humans. It also shared ways people in Anacostia could get rid of rats in their homes. This exhibit even had live rats!
Supporting African American Museums
In 1978, Kinard helped start the African American Museum Association (AAMA). This group brought together small local African American art, culture, and history museums across the United States. He served as its treasurer and later as its president.
When there was talk in Congress about creating a National Museum of African American History and Culture, Kinard was against the idea at first. He worried that a national museum would take money and artifacts away from smaller local museums. Kinard and the AAMA asked Congress to create a $50 million fund to support local black history museums instead.
Kinard changed his mind several times over the next two years. But shortly before he died, he told The Washington Post that he strongly supported the national museum. He said, "My vision is that the Smithsonian Institution ought to take the lead in developing a national African American museum on the Mall." He believed it was "a life and death thing" for people to understand their history.
Even though he wasn't trained in history or museum curatorship, Kinard was well known as a museum director. Tom Freudenheim, a Smithsonian official, said that under Kinard, the Anacostia Museum became a model for many other African American museums. It also became a model for other museums focused on specific ethnic groups.
John Kinard's Legacy
Kinard had a blood disease called myelofibrosis. This disease affects the cells in the bone marrow. He lost a lot of weight in the last few months of his life. He passed away on August 5, 1989, at Greater Southeast Community Hospital in Washington, D.C.
In an interview shortly before he died, Kinard shared what he hoped people would remember about him. He said, "If it can be said of me that 'he was a good servant,' that will be enough." He wanted to be remembered simply as someone who served others well.
Livingstone College created the John R. Kinard Scholarship for Leadership and Academic Excellence in his honor. This program helps students with money for college.
